


New Jericho

by smolalienbee



Series: Elijah Kamski's demons [4]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Anger, Anger Management, Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Canon Related, Canon Universe, Character Study, Connor's still soft, Fear, Feels, Gen, Hurt, I make Elijah suffer even more, I need to do something about it eventually shush, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Mental Health Issues, Non-Graphic Violence, Panic, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Post-Canon, Sad, Social Anxiety, Violence, also there's finally more characters than just Elijah and Connor, there's no fluff here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-05 23:03:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15873507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smolalienbee/pseuds/smolalienbee
Summary: Elijah Kamski finally pays a visit to the newly rebuilt Jericho. With a lot of doubt and fear in his mind, he has to step forward like the god that he's supposed to be.





	New Jericho

**Author's Note:**

> SO I thought about posting this later but I'm going abroad real soon so I figured I may as well post it now and hopefully I'll write future parts during my trip (I was actually thinking I wanted to write some crack about Elijah being dorky, we'll see). I can immediately tell you that there's no fluff here (this is what happens when my dear friend Will tells me to write something less fluffy and yes, I'm calling them out in the notes to my own fic). There's a reference to Kamski x Connor, but nothing really happens in that regard, so y'all are safe to read it even if you don't like the ship. Also, I guess there's a bit more action than usually, you can congratulate me for that

 

_This was it, wasn't it?_

_**The moment of truth, Elijah.** _

 

Here they were, standing in front of Jericho. Or, more precisely, new Jericho.

After the original Jericho went up in flames, the androids resided for a while in an old, abandoned church. But it certainly wasn't the best place for them, so as soon as he could, Elijah made sure they'd have something more suitable. One of the buildings that belonged to Cyberlife, but wasn't currently being used. It was fairly big, had enough space for all of the homeless deviants to stay there. It required some renovations, but they managed it quite well. It looked much better than when it was first left in their hands.

Elijah would say that initially, it was empty and frighteningly quiet. Now it was buzzing with life. The sight of the android kids playing around it was a refreshing one. Elijah watched them for a moment before a voice brought him out of his thoughts.

“We should head inside,” Connor spoke up.

Elijah sighed. Why was the android so incredibly convincing, convincing to the point that he managed to get him to do this?

“I'm beginning to regret agreeing to this,” he admitted as they strolled forward.

“You've been putting it off for far too long, Elijah,” Connor pointed out, but his voice was gentle and patient. Kamski was sure he could look through his carefully crafted mask and saw just how stressed he truly was by the whole thing.

Yet another sigh as he kept dragging his feet.

He dreaded the moment when he'd have to walk into Jericho. He knew opinions about him were, well, diverse. Some loved him. Others hated him. Most hated him. It was like that with both humans and androids, though the deviants' anger touched him far more than the humans' did. It was justified. It was his fault.

He would've been angry, too, if he was in their place.

He wasn't sure if it was imagining it, but the whole building seemed to fall silent as they walked in. The androids that were around immediately turned to look at them. It was terrifying, to say the least. A shiver run through him as his eyes skimmed over their faces.

“Markus has warned me that some of them may not be happy to see you,” Connor commented, quiet enough so that only Elijah could hear him “The fact that we're here together doesn't make it any better.”

Of course. The famous deviant hunter and the creator together. Neither of them were very popular with the others so it was no surprise that the androids were uneasy.

“Obviously,” he murmured.

He held his head high. Chin tilted up. Just like how he taught himself. Keep the mask up. Don't let it show just how nervous you actually are. Don't let them get to you. You're a god, are you not? So act like it.

 

_Act like a god._

 

Elijah would say he was doing a pretty good job of it, despite how badly his body wanted to tremble. He kept his hands pushed into his pockets just to make sure they wouldn't visibly shake. He could feel all the eyes observing him so carefully and it was one of those feelings he hated the most. It was making him paranoid. Jumpy.

He had to tighten the mask. Breathe in, breathe out. Make sure it doesn't slip off.

“Elijah?”

That single word was enough to make it crack for just a brief second, genuine relief showing up on his face.

 

_Chloe._

 

He turned and saw her. All of them. The faces that he had spent months designing and then years looking at. So kind and friendly, easy to trust. He was genuinely happy to see them.

“My girls!” He said enthusiastically, breaking into a grin. He was still keeping up that confident act, but his smile was sincere.

“Connor told us you'd be visitng, but he didn't mention you'd be here today,” one of them spoke up, surprised, but also visibly joyful.

“It was a... spur of the moment decision,” he explained shortly, already moving between all four of the blonde girls to give each one a hug.

Connor stood to the side, just watching them all with a small, fond smile on his face. Less troubled while watching that little domestic moment between Elijah and those closest to him.

“So how are you enjoying being independent, lovelies?”

And then they were all talking over each other, excited, eager to tell Elijah everything that they had seen ever since they joined Jericho. He didn't even need to speak up much, nodding along to their stories and smiling at all of them. His arms loosely rested on the shoulders of two of them while the other two stood in front of him, effectively circling him all around. It was clear they haven't seen each other in a while, they had so much to catch up on. Elijah knew he had other matters to attend to while in Jericho, but he wanted to allow himself this small moment of peace. He had missed his girls, after all.

But what was good never seemed to last long. All five of them stood close together, with Connor just a few steps away, happy in their own bubble until someone came crashing into it.

“The infamous Elijah Kamski.”

Slowly, Elijah turned, his arms dropping from the Chloes' shoulders. His expression turned into an unreadable one. He held his head high again. Straightened his back. The smile was gone.

In front of him was an android whose face he only knew from the production line and the advertisements. AP700? Most likely one of the many Connor woke up at the Cyberlife Tower. He furrowed his brows, noticing a few other androids lingering behind him. None of them looked happy to see him there. Exactly what he was afraid of.

“That is my name, correct.”

“You created us.” Elijah didn't even have the time to close his mouth before the android responded. His frown only deepened.

“Also correct.” He didn't know where this was going. He wasn't sure what to make out of the android who stood there, his LED flashing between blue and red.

“You abandoned us.”

Elijah was taken aback. He never even realized that those three words were what he never wanted to hear.

He couldn't even deny it.

He abandoned them. Let them get hurt. Abused. Killed.

It was his fault.

His eyes widened, the mask cracking again as his lips parted in surprise. The android approached and Elijah just stood there, frozen in that one spot. The Chloes also tensed up. Connor moved forward, trying to get between the two.

“I don't think-”

“Get away, deviant hunter,” the android spat, reaching out to push Connor away. He had to take a step back, now just as shocked as Elijah. “You're no better than him.”

Connor looked like he was about to try and step in again, but the android was already speaking before he had a chance to do anything.

“You let us rot between the humans while you hid away, like a coward. You let the humans abuse us!” He was now getting into Elijah's space, pointing a finger at him. He was easily taller than the man, looking down at him while Kamski desperately attempted to make himself look composed.

“That's why you created us, huh? You wanted toys to play with? Why the fuck are you even here?” His voice was getting louder and louder. More aggressive, his chest almost pressed up to Elijah's at this point.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see that the others were gathering around them, too. Some of them surprised, some of them angry, whispering between each other. Or even loudly cheering for the one attacking him.

It was suffocating.

It brought back memories

It was too much.

Too much.

Too much too much too much

_Fight or flight._

Run?

Where?

The faces surrounded him.

They felt far closer than they really were

 

_No escape._

 

“If it wasn't for me, none of you would've even existed!” his scream made the entire hall fall silent.

He moved forward, grasped the android by his collar, causing him to sway on his feet. Red flashing dangerously.

What was happening?

He didn't know what was happening.

“You should be grateful! I created you!”

You're a god, _are you not?_

So act like it.

_Act like a god._

 

“ _Elijah Kamski is a man with a god complex.”_

 

“Why aren't you thankful?! Or are you no better than _the humans_?!”

 

Was that the kind of god he wanted to be?

 

Red was flashing in front of his eyes and he couldn't tell whether it was the rage blinding him or the LEDs surrounding him. He wanted to keep on going.

You can't escape.

Fight back.

 

_You're their **god**._

 

“Enough! That is enough!” A voice boomed through the building. A female one, though Elijah couldn't focus enough to try and recognize it.

There were arms grasping him and pulling him away. He struggled, tried to get out.

Get out.

Run run run.

 _ ~~Fight or~~ flight_.

Screaming nonsense.

“Can't you get him to calm the fuck down?!” the same female voice again.

There were faces flashing in front of him as he was being dragged somewhere. That female voice was so much closer now.

Then something moved.

Knuckles against his cheek.

Pain.

And then, _the silence_.

Oh, the blissful silence.

 

* * *

 

 

“North, punching people is really not-”

“What else was I supposed to do? He went insane! Even his boyfriend couldn't calm him down.”

“I'm not his-”

“Stop arguing, all of you. We've had enough yelling for today.”

He was slowly coming back to his senses. First, the stinging pain in his cheek. Then the voices, getting more and more clear. He was exhausted, his mind still buzzing painfully, but he could tell the voices apart. He didn't know all of them personally, but they were all familiar. Josh. North. Connor. Markus.

_Jericho._

He was at Jericho.

Remembering what happened, he wanted to cry. Scream. Run. He could remember his own words, his blind rage. A frightened animal.

Without even realizing it, he let out a small whimper, immediately bringing the attention to himself.

“Elijah?” Connor was the first one to react.

He sounded so concerned. Why did he sound so concerned? He didn't deserve it. He was the one who fucked up, after all. That android had a right to be angry with him. They should all be angry with him.

God, he really deserved that punch. He should've gotten so much more.

Slowly, he blinked his eyes open, his gaze moving all over the room. There were four other people in there, the ones he could hear while he regained consciousness. He didn't have the energy to try and read their expressions. Did it even matter at this point?

He shouldn't have came. He definitely regretted it now.

“Are you alright?” A hand on the side of his head brought him back to reality. Connor.

Elijah hated himself even more when he saw the worry lacing the android's face.

Without saying anything, he pulled away from the touch and slowly sat up. His head was pounding and he wasn't sure if it was because of the punch or his outburst earlier. Probably both.

He noticed he had been laid down on a bed in a room that looked a lot like someone's bedroom. Perhaps Markus', considering the amount of paintings hanging on the walls. Were they Carl's? Not the time to be thinking about that, Elijah.

“What's his name?” He didn't even acknowledge Connor's concern. He made sure not to look at him, head hanging as he sat on the edge of the bed. Fingers curled around the sheets.

There was a moment of silence and everyone gathered seemed confused. Markus was the first one to catch on.

“Damian,” his response was short.

Kamski nodded slowly. “Damian,” he repeated quietly, more to himself than to anyone else. Making sure he'd remember his name.

“Is he alright?”

“Definitely shaken up by that stunt you pulled, _creator_.” Her last word had so much bite in it that Elijah almost flinched. Though North's rage was still a quiet one, compared to what happened earlier.

“North, please,” Markus' attempts at keeping everyone calm were admirable. His leadership shone, even then. The way everyone seemed to quieten down when he was speaking. Carl taught him well.

“She's not wrong,” Kamski responded simply, finally raising his gaze, looking at North and then at Markus.

With a sigh, Josh spoke up, “To actually answer your question, he'll be okay. Simon's with him and the Chloes now. He's taking care of them.”

Elijah's shoulders slumped at that and he nodded slightly. At least they were all being looked after. These androids were making a better job of keeping things under control than he ever had.

He heard the bed creak and looked to the side, seeing Connor sit down next to him. His brown eyes trained on him. Looking through him, again. Elijah barely stopped himself from moving away from him. He couldn't handle it right now, none of it. Everyone was looking at him and he felt like he was going to blow up again.

 

Breathe. Just _breathe._

 

“North, Josh, you should go help Simon out. I'll talk to Elijah.” Did Markus notice his discomfort? Or maybe Connor told him. He wouldn't be surprised.

The two seemed reluctant at first. North especially, but after a silent exchange between all three of them, they finally walked out of the room without another word. Briefly, Kamski wondered if they used their connection to talk it through with each other. Maybe they even talked about how dangerous he was to them.

There he was, getting paranoid again.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, but without much hesitation, he pushed it off gently. Not now. Not now. He didn't want to look up and see Connor's expression, see how hurt he was. The android was so quiet and that also scared him.

“It's been a while, Elijah,” Markus was the one to break the silence.

Kamski glanced up at him. “I wish the circumstances were better,” he murmured in response.

“You came unexpected. They weren't prepared to see you today.”

“I think we both know that wasn't the problem. The problem is that I'm here at all,” Elijah huffed in response.

He stood up slowly. His body felt heavy and legs weak. He felt like he was going to fall over, but that didn't matter. He couldn't let it show.

“What did you expect? Most of them already have strong opinions about you.”

“Markus, I knew something like that could happen. Why do you think I put this off for so long?” He let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head.

He took a few tentative steps. Could feel a pair of brown eyes on his back. Elijah turned his head, glancing up at one of the paintings in the room. That one was definitely Carl's.

“He'd be proud of you,” he said quietly.

He didn't want to talk about himself anymore. Didn't want to remember it. He was sure he'd replay the whole situation later, when he was alone in the suffocating silence of his own home. Over and over again until he wouldn't be able to breathe or think.

But now, he wanted to forget.

Markus followed his gaze to the painting. He looked at it, a moment of silence passing between all of them.

“He mentioned you sometimes. You never visited.”

“He knew I wouldn't.”

Markus furrowed his brows at Elijah's words. He opened his mouth to respond, but seeing it, Kamski hurried to speak up before he could.

“I knew you'd take good care of him, so I didn't have to.”

“It's not about whether you had to. Friends see each other.”

Elijah snorted. He was still standing in front of the painting, turning his head to look over at Markus.

“Who told you I was ever good at social customs?” He sounded amused, even though he had no reason to laugh. “I could go visit him now, but what would be the point? There's no afterlife, he wouldn't know either way.”

Markus didn't look happy with his response, but also didn't try arguing. Judging by the android's gaze, he was busy trying to figure Elijah out. No wonder, he already had his stoic mask on. So analytical and emotionless.

He didn't mention how much he missed Carl. He was almost like a father to him. How horrible he felt for not visiting the man. Or even his grave. It was all in the past, now. No point dwelling on it. No point in letting it show. Markus probably already had an opinion on him. What was it again? Seven seconds to judge another person when we first meet them?

 

_7 seconds._

7 seconds when he was trashing about and screaming

Oh, what a great first impression.

 

“Connor told me there was something you wanted to discuss with me in person.”

Elijah was thankful for the change of topic. He nodded slowly, taking his eyes off Markus to look around the room.

“Maybe you should sit down,” Connor finally spoke up, quiet. Elijah let out a heavy sigh, but complied, settling down on the edge of the bed. Putting some space between the two of them. He couldn't get overwhelmed again.

“Yes. There are some matters that I think we should talk about, now that you have Cyberlife's full support.”

His voice was monotone. Business-like. As if he was talking to all those men in their fancy suits, the ones that didn't want to see him as a human being. He felt bad speaking to Markus like that, but what else he was supposed to do? He was too shaken up still, he knew he'd fall apart completely if he let any emotion show.

“I have a few ideas for improvements, both for Cyberlife and Jericho. I've been working on taking full control of the company so that I can carry them out easily.”

Markus nodded, leaning against the desk while Elijah spoke. “Go on,” he prompted him.

“I've been thinking a lot about how Cyberlife should proceed from here on out.” It certainly didn't feel right to create any more androids, not in the current situation. “I've come to the conclusion that, at least for now, it'd be best if we focused on creating facilities catered for androids. Repair centers, shelters and such. I think we can agree that is the best course of action right now. But I need to know what needs the androids have. Should we create separate schools? Provide psychological support? I thought it'd be best to ask you directly..”

Jericho's leader didn't look at him as he listened. His gaze was on the floor and he seemed to be thinking, a small hum passing through his lips to let Elijah know he was paying attention.

“We do need more spaces like that,” he agreed. “Repair centers and shelters are something I think you can put into action already. Anything else – I'll have to find out. I'll see what the others say and contact you.”

“Thank you. I wouldn't want to proceed without going over these ideas with Jericho's leader,” Elijah's words made Markus raise an eyebrow, finding the man's phrasing to be odd. “And I'd like to ask you to see if there's anything else, anything at all, that you think Cyberlife could do for you. We have enough money and influence to handle it.”

“I'll make sure to keep in touch with you and let you know whenever something comes up. In fact, I think it'll be best if I contact you directly rather than through Connor.”

Elijah was still hesitant about that. Guilt nabbed at him when Markus was standing in front of him. Carl's face flashing in front of his eyes. But the android was right. He gave a sharp nod, a silent agreement.

“I should be going now,” he said suddenly, effectively surprising both of the androids.

“Already? But there was-”

He cut Connor off, “Yes, there was more I wanted to discuss,” he agreed, standing up. Turning his head so that he couldn't see his face. “But now that I'll be in direct contact with Markus, I think we may as well talk it over the phone.”

“You're welcome to stay,” Markus' voice was calm, though his eyebrows raised. Still observing him.

“No, I really should be going. I already disturbed Jericho's peace once – I'll make sure not to repeat that mistake in the future.”

A promise not to return. Not to mess things up yet again.

Maybe being surrounded with androids wasn't any better than being surrounded with humans.

He headed towards the door. His shoulders had tensed up again. His legs were still weak, but steps confident. He needed to just get out of there while his facade was still up.

“I'll talk to you later, Markus. Connor.”

He wanted to say something more, but any other words got caught in his throat. Mask slowly slipping, already. He gave up on trying to speak more, walking out of the room without adding anything else. He didn't look back, didn't wait to see if they'd try to stop him. He fulfilled the promise that he once made to Connor. He came to Jericho. No need to return ever again. Better stay at his office, it was the only way he could make things better for his creations.

As he walked through the building, there were the eyes again.

The eyes, all around, all focused on him. Watching him so carefully.

 

_Afraid._

_Angry._

_Disgusted._

 

He wanted to scream, reminded of what happened earlier.

“ _You should be grateful! I created you!”_

A cruel, cruel god?

No. He was wrong, they were all wrong.

A god with so many demons wasn't a god.

 

_Elijah Kamski wasn't a god_

_Elijah Kamski was a monster._

 


End file.
